James Baldwin (1841 - 1925)
According to his biography in the Junior Book of Authors (1951), Baldwin, a native of Indiana and largely self-educated, began teaching at the age of 24. After several years he became superintendent of the graded schools in Indiana, a post he held for 18 years. The last 37 years of his life he worked with publishers, first with Harper and Brothers and later with the American Book Company. In addition to editing school books, he started writing books of his own. After the publication in 1882 of The Story of Siegfried, he went on to write more than 50 others.
His influence was widely felt because at one time it was estimated that of all the school books in use in the United States, over half had been written or edited by him. Unfortunately, his works are much less widely known today. So far as known, only some of his books are in print and published today.

Books:
Date Story Category
1882 The Story of Siegfried Legends
1883 The Story of Roland Legends
1887 A Story of the Golden Age of Greek Heroes Mythology
1895 Fairy Stories and Fables Readers
1895 Old Greek Stories Mythology
1896 Fifty Famous Stories Retold Collective Biography
1897 Four Great Americans Collective Biography
1903 The Wonder-Book of Horses Mythology
1904 Abraham Lincoln, A True Life ----
1905 Thirty More Famous Stories Retold Collective Biography
1905 Robinson Crusoe Written Anew for Children Adapted Literature
1907 An American Book of Golden Deeds Ethical Faith Stories
1910 Stories of Don Quixote Written A new for Children Fiction
1912 The Sampo Legends
1912 Fifty Famous People Collective Biography
1914 In My Youth Individual Biography